Major Player Expands Empire

30 Gatehouse Road, Echo Village Apartments (24 units)

Jamie Cherewatti, aka Eagle Crest Management, branched out in a B-I-G way this week by purchasing #10 and #30 Gatehouse Road commercial complexes (business and residential) for $3 million using a new LLC, Echo Gatehouse Partners and $1.85 million in financing.

The price was well above their combined assessed value of $2.1 million, with the lions share being the 24 units of housing, a frequent destination for the Amherst Police Department.

James Cherewatti on left

 10 Gatehouse Road, commercial business condos

Cherewatti purchased the multi-use property from the original developer Gerry Gates, who with his long time business partner Dick Johnson (now deceased) built the sprawling development in the mid-1970s. 

Amherst Insurance Agency, #20 Gatehouse, is not included in the deal, although coincidentally enough that property was sold just sold last week by Ron Nathan for $700,000 to RAG Associates, aka Glenn Allan, a long time executive with the insurance business.

Amherst Insurance Agency: still your independent, locally owned full service insurance agency

At the Mercy of the Media

 Old Amherst Landfill, Belchertown Road, Planet Earth

The problem with involving the main stream media early on with an "unusual" story like a UFO sighting is that they don't really take it seriously.

It's soooo much easier to go with the cheap, quick, extraterrestrial angle; thus opening the door to sniping from the legions of anonymous critics Amherst has accumulated over the years.

There's no question something was spotted in the air over the old landfill early on Tuesday night.  The question is, was it indeed something unusual?  And if so, what are the possibilities?

I saw the twitter breaking news report almost immediately and went outside to take a look.  Both a C5A and a helicopter soon ambled overhead, but that is certainly not all that unusual considering the close proximity of Westover, Barnes and Bradley airfields, all of which host the military.

And we did have a Chinook helicopter drop in unexpectedly last June.

Which brings up an obvious question.  If the modus operandi  of the object (mainly the part about "silent") did not fit those usual suspects, could it have been something else military related, like a drone? 

These days drone technology is seeping its way into non military uses as well.  The Occupy folks used one as an eye in the sky to monitor police while police departments nationwide are also starting to use them for surveillance, although raising concerns about privacy.  And safety.

And no, Amherst Police Department does not have a drone.  Although ... that would be a convenient way to keep an eye on Party Houses this coming spring.   

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What's wrong with this close?  (Umm, maybe the wrong month):

CBS3 "reports"

New video surfaces on, where else, Youtube

(Sad) Sign of The Times

Crocker Farm School Staff participated in a security drill this afternoon

Amherst schools have continued to tweak security protocols in the wake of the Newtown tragedy. But nothing radical, as they are not exactly reinventing the wheel.

According to ARPS Superintendent Maria Geryk, "We are fortunate that we have spent lots of time creating our safety plans over the years, so that we are not making major adjustments at the moment. We are just really tightening up some of our procedures."

She continues, "I expect that there will be additional changes over time as we spend more time updating our plans."

Today's exercise was a "school level drill" vs the more expansive district level "table top drills" orchestrated in conjunction with Amherst police and fire departments. Superintendent Geryk reports "Things are going well with these brief drills."

According to a pundit the Newtown massacre will do for school security what 9/11 did for airport security.  True enough.

Just as a gorgeous September morning with perfect temperatures under a deep blue cloudless sky, can never again be innocently enjoyed quite the same; neither will the sights and sounds of a room full of happy, chatty, first graders.

Schools talk safety

How Many Does It Take?

Workers adjust the BoA lighted sign on the most unrevered building in downtown Amherst

Town Flag (Almost) Ready To Flap

 Amherst Town Flag

The final tweak to the Amherst town flag -- incorporating 1759, our date of founding -- has been rendered and the design is now only weeks away from a limited production run of around a dozen units. 

Renowned illustrator Barry Moser had originally submitted nine designs last year.  The Design Review Board and Historical Commission by unanimous vote whittled it down to one, with the only suggestion being to add 1759. 

The proud project, a brainchild of Select Board member Diana Stein, started in the summer of 2010 as a contest, but none of the submissions passed muster. 

Selectman Jim Wald, a booster of all  (well, most) things historic, contacted Barry Moser who volunteered to do the project.  Thus no tax money is involved.

A large town flag will hang in the Statehouse Hall of Flags and smaller versions will be available for town buildings, civic organizations and die hard fans of Amherst, where even the h is silent. 

Taxi Control

Gotta Go taxi at the scene of Hadley Hoe Down last fall when they had 12 taxis, now down to only two in Amherst

The Wild Wild West days for the taxi industry in Amherst seem to be over. If only the rental housing market were as quick to respond to regulatory pressures.

Last night Town Manager John Musante reported to his bosses, the five-member Select Board, that nine taxi companies have applied for and been approved 2013 town licenses, down from a dozen in 2011.

But the h-u-g-e difference is in number of taxi vehicles approved for road service that have passed an extensive inspection process: 61 last year, down to only 19 this year.

When UMass is in session, weekend late evenings start to resemble a three ring circus clown act with the number of young people packed into taxis, which careen around town like their were firefighters on the way to major structure fire.

The towns new insistance on a meter system which requires an expensive machine in each taxi accounts for the low number of units on the road this year. In business it's called a "barrier to entry".

 Now any Tom, Dick or Sally will think twice before simply turning their personal vehicle into a taxi.

Fire!

 141 Leverett Road, Amherst.  Garage

How you can help

The first major structure fire of the year, a rare event for Amherst, struck a house at 141 Leverett Road last night around 5:15 PM, only about two miles from AFD North Station.

Amherst firefighters were on the scene quickly, with mutual aid provided by units from Belchertown and Northampton, but the fire was already roaring.

The family of five got out of the 1.5 level wood frame structure safely, although one person was slightly burned and treated on the scene.  The house appears to be a major loss.

141 Leverett Road, Amherst.  Main house